Telephone outlet with packet telephony adapter, and a network using same

ABSTRACT

An outlet for a Local Area Network (LAN), containing an integrated adapter that converts VoIP to and from analog telephony, and a standard telephone jack (e.g. RJ-11 in North America) for connecting an ordinary analog (POTS) telephone set. Such an outlet allows using analog telephone sets in a VoIP environment, eliminating the need for an IP telephone set or external adapter. The outlet may also include a hub that allows connecting both an analog telephone set via an adapter, as well as retaining the data network connection, which may be accessed by a network jack. The invention may also be applied to a telephone line-based data networking system. In such an environment, the data networking circuitry as well as the VoIP/POTS adapters are integrated into a telephone outlet, providing for regular analog service, VoIP telephony service using an analog telephone set, and data networking as well. In such a configuration, the outlet requires two standard telephone jacks and a data-networking jack. Outlets according to the invention can be used to retrofit existing LAN and in-building telephone wiring, as well as original equipment in new installation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of copending parent application Ser. No.11/001,057, filed on Dec. 2, 2004, which is a continuation of copendingparent application Ser. No. 10/469,576, nationalized on Sep. 2, 2003,which copending parent application is the national stage ofinternational application PCT/IL01/00954, filed on Oct. 15, 2001, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of packet telephony, and,more specifically, to the use of packet telephony within a Local AreaNetwork (LAN) over wiring simultaneously used for analog telephony.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Analog Telephone Network

Analog telephony, popularly known as “Plain Old Telephone Service”(“POTS”) has been in existence for over 100 years, and is well-designedand well-engineered for the transmission and switching of voice signalsin the 3-4 KHz portion (or “band”) of the audio spectrum. The familiarPOTS network supports real-time, low-latency, high-reliability,moderate-fidelity voice telephony, and is capable of establishing asession between two end-points, each using an analog telephone set.

The terms “computer” and “personal computer” (“PC”) as used hereininclude workstations and other data terminal equipment (DTE) withinterfaces for connection to a local area network. The term “telephoneset” as used herein includes any device which can connect to a PublicSwitch Telephone Network (“PSTN”) using analog telephone signals,non-limiting examples of which are fax machines, automatic telephoneanswering machines, and dial-up modems.

Outlets

The term “outlet” herein denotes an electro-mechanical device, whichenables connection to wiring installed within a building. Outlets arepermanently connected to the wiring, and allow easy connection ofexternal units as required to such wiring, commonly by means of anintegrated, built-in connector. The outlet is normally mechanicallyattached to, or mounted in, the wall. Non-limiting examples of commonoutlets include: telephone outlets for connecting telephone sets; CATVoutlets for connecting television sets, VCR's, and the like; andelectrical outlets for connecting power to electrical appliances.

LAN Environment

A development associated with the Internet is packet telephony. Packettelephony involves the use of a packet based network (commonly using theInternet Protocol, or IP) for communicating telephonic and related data,which may include sound, images, motion pictures, multimedia and anycombinations thereof, in addition to voice content. In place of a pairof telephones connected by switched telephone lines as in analogtelephony, packet telephony typically involves the use of anIP-telephone at one or both ends of the telephony link, with thetelephonic information transferred over a packet network using packetswitching and packet routing techniques, as exemplified by the Internet.

Recently, a solution for combining both telephony and datacommunications into a single network is offered by theVoice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) approach. In this technique,telephone signals are digitized and carried as data across the LAN. Suchsystems are known in the art.

FIG. 1 shows a typical LAN-based telephony environment 10. Such anetwork, commonly using 10 BaseT or 100 BaseTX Ethernet IEEE802.3interfaces and topology uses a hub 11 as a concentrating device, intowhich all devices are connected. Devices are connected to hub 11 by dataconnectors 14 a, 14 b, and 14 c, which are housed within network outlets15 a, 15 b, and 15 c respectively via cables 13 a, 13 b, and 13 crespectively. Data connectors 14 a, 14 b, and 14 c may be, for example,type RJ-45; and cables 13 a, 13 b, and 13 c may be, for example,Category 5 cabling. The telephony portion of network 10 uses IPtelephones 17 a, 17 b, and 17 c, which connect to network connectors 14a, 14 b, and 14 c via cables 16 a, 16 b, and 16 c, respectively. Aserver 12 may also be connected to hub 11, and can perform the IP-PBXfunctionality, as well as other server functions as applied in the art.

Although FIG. 1 refers to the hub 11 as a concentrating device, it isunderstood that any type of device having multiple network interfacesand supporting a suitable connectivity can be used, non-limitingexamples of which include a shared hub, switch (switched hub), router,and gateway. Hence, the term “hub” used herein denotes any such device.Furthermore, the hub 11 can be any packet based network, eitherin-building or distributed, such as LAN or the Internet.

In order to employ VoIP in network 10, specific IP telephones 17 a, 17b, and 17 c must be used. Such telephones are expensive, requireconnection to a power outlet (or other power supply) and are not yetcommon in the marketplace. This factor has encouraged the availabilityof adapters for bridging between IP networks and PSTN equipment.Specifically, adapters enabling the usage of POTS telephone sets in anIP environment are available in the market, allowing the use of commonand low-price legacy POTS telephone sets to be used in a VoIPenvironment.

FIG. 2 shows a network 20 using POTS telephone sets in a VoIPenvironment. Basically, network 20 uses the same network infrastructureas network 10 (FIG. 1). However, instead of IP telephones 17 a, 17 b,and 17 c, POTS telephone sets 22 a, 22 b, and 22 c are used, connectedvia cables 6 a, 6 b and 6 c respectively to VoIP/PSTN adapters 21 a, 21b, and 21 c, respectively, which in turn are respectively connected tonetwork outlets 15 a, 15 b, and 15 c via cables 22 a, 22 b, and 22 crespectively. Such a configuration affords the benefits of IP telephony,but allows the use of common and inexpensive POTS telephone sets.

Although network 20 facilitates the employment of common, low-coststandard legacy POTS telephone sets, adapters 21 a, 21 b, and 21 c arenecessary, making installation and maintenance complex, and requiringadditional equipment, connections, and cables (e.g. cables 22).Furthermore, such adapters require a power connection, furthercomplicating installation, use, and maintenance.

Furthermore, although FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show networks which are usedsolely for telephony, LANs today are intended and used principally fordata communication, to connect Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) devices(such as desktop personal computers, printers). In some cases, thenumber of outlets 15 (or connectors 14) may not suffice for bothtelephony and data applications. For example, this may be the case in anoffice where each work area has a single network connection via a singleoutlet 15 having single connector 14. In this case, a huh (or othermulti-port unit) must be connected to expand to multiple networkconnections. FIG. 3 shows such a configuration in a prior-art network30. In order to allow both adapter 21 a and DTE 7 a to share networkoutlet 15 a via connector 14 a, a huh 31 a is added. Similarly, a hub 31c is added, facilitating the connection of both adapter 21 c and DTE 7 cto a single network connection via outlet 15 c via connector 14 c. Thus,in such a configuration, additional hubs 31 a and 31 c must be added,introducing additional complexity in installation and maintenance.

Home Networking

In-home telephone service usually employs two or four wires, to whichtelephone sets are connected via telephone outlets.

FIG. 4 shows the wiring configuration of a prior-art telephone systemincluding a network 40 for a residence or other building, wired with atelephone line 5. The telephone line 5 consists of single wire pairwhich connects to a junction-box 34, which in turn connects to a PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN) 410 via a cable 33, terminating in apublic switch 32, which establishes and enables telephony from onetelephone to another. The term “analog telephony” herein denotestraditional analog low-frequency audio voice signals typically under 3KHz, sometimes referred to as “POTS” (“Plain Old Telephone Service”),whereas the term “telephony” in general denotes any kind of telephoneservice, including digital service such as Integrated Services DigitalNetwork (ISDN). The term “high-frequency” herein denotes any frequencysubstantially above such analog telephony audio frequencies, such asthat used for data. ISDN typically uses frequencies not exceeding 100KHz (typically the energy is concentrated around 40 KHz). The term“telephone line” herein denotes electrically-conducting lines which areintended primarily for the carrying and distribution of analogtelephony, and includes, but is not limited to, suchelectrically-conducting lines which may be pre-existing within abuilding and which may currently provide analog telephony service. Theterm “telephone device” herein denotes, without limitation, anyapparatus for telephony (including both analog telephony and ISDN), aswell as any device using telephony signals, such as fax, voice-modem,and so forth.

The junction box 34 is used to separate the in-home circuitry from thePSTN and is used as a test facility for troubleshooting as well as fornew wiring in the home. A plurality of telephones may connect totelephone lines 5 via a plurality of telephone outlets 35 a, 35 b, 35 c,and 35 d. Each outlet has a connector (often referred to as a “jack”),denoted in FIG. 4 as 36 a, 36 b, 36 c, and 36 d, respectively. InNorth-America, RJ-11 is commonly used for a jack. Each outlet may beconnected to a telephone unit via a “plug” connector that inserts intothe jack.

Network 40 is normally configured into a serial or “daisy-chained”topology, wherein the wiring is connected from one outlet to the next ina linear manner, but other topologies such as star, tree, or anyarbitrary topology may also be used. Regardless of the topology,however, the telephone wiring system within a residence always useswired media: two or four copper wires along with one or more outletswhich provide direct access to these wires for connecting to telephonesets.

It is often desirable to simultaneously use existing telephone wiringsimultaneously for both telephony and data networking. In this way,establishing a new local area network in a home or other building issimplified, because there is no need to install additional wiring. U.S.Pat. No. 4,766,402 to Crane (hereinafter referred to as “Crane”) teachesa Local Area Network over standard two-wire telephone lines, but doesnot simultaneously support telephony.

As another example, relevant prior-art in this field is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,896,443 to Dichter (hereinafter referred to as“Dichter”). Dichter suggests a method and apparatus for applying afrequency domain/division multiplexing (FDM) technique for residentialtelephone wiring, enabling the simultaneous carrying of telephony anddata communication signals. The available bandwidth over the wiring issplit into a low-frequency band capable of carrying an analog telephonysignal, and a high-frequency band capable of carrying data communicationsignals. In such a mechanism, telephony is not affected, while a datacommunication capability is provided over existing telephone wiringwithin a home.

The concept of frequency domain/division multiplexing (FDM) iswell-known in the art, and provides means of splitting the bandwidthcarried by a wire into a low-frequency band capable of carrying ananalog telephony signal and a high-frequency band capable of carryingdata communication or other signals. Such a mechanism is described, forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,448 to Reichert et al. (hereinafterreferred to as “Reichert”). Also widely used are xDSL systems, primarilyAsymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop (ADSL) systems.

In addition to illustrating a residential telephone system, FIG. 4 alsoshows the arrangement of a Dichter network. Network 40 serves bothanalog telephones and provides a local area network of data units. DataTerminal Equipment (DTE) units 7 a, 7 b, and 7 c are connected to thelocal area network via Data Communication Equipment (DCE) units 39 a, 39b, and 39 c, respectively. Examples of Data Communication Equipmentinclude, but are not limited to, modems, line drivers, line receivers,and transceivers (the term “transceiver” herein denotes a combinedtransmitter and receiver), which enables communication over telephoneline 5. DCE units 39 a, 39 b, and 39 c are respectively connected tohigh pass filters (HPF) 38 a, 38 b, and 38 c, which allow access to thehigh-frequency band carried by telephone line 5. In order to avoidinterference to the data network caused by the telephones, low passfilters (LPF's) 37 a, 37 b, and 37 c are added to isolate the POTScarrying band, so that telephones 22 a, 22 b, and 22 c connects totelephone line 5 for providing PSTN. Furthermore, a low pass filter mayalso connected to Junction Box 34 (not shown in the figure), in order tofilter noise induced from or to PSTN wiring 33.

FIG. 5 shows a telephone line-based LAN 50 wherein the data network isused for carrying both VoIP telephony and regular DTE network data.Flubs 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c allow connecting respective DTE units 7 a, 7b, and 7 c as well as respective IP telephones 17 a, 17 b, and 17 c torespective single network connections via DCE units 39 a, 39 b, and 39c. Analog telephones 22 a, 22 b, and 22 c are also shown connected viarespective low pass filters (LPF's) 37 a, 37 b, and 37 c to thetelephone outlets 35 a, 35 c, 35 d. Thus, the analog telephones areconnected directly to the analog telephone line 5.

In order to eliminate the need for IP telephones 17 a, 17 b, and 17 c,and to permit using analog telephone sets 22 a, 22 b, and 22 c instead,adapters 21 a, 21 b, and 21 c (FIG. 3) must be added, as describedpreviously. FIG. 6 shows a network 60, where this is done. IP telephones17 a, 17 b, and 17 c of network 50 are replaced by analog telephone sets22 d, 22 e, and 22 f, respectively, connected to hubs 41 a, 41 b, and 41c, respectively, via adapters 21 a, 21 b, and 21 c respectively.

FIG. 6 demonstrates the complexity of such a configuration. At leastthree types of external devices are required: DCE units 39 a, 39 b, and39 c; hubs 41 a, 41 b, and 41 c; and adapters 21 a, 21 b, and 21 c. Eachof these devices usually requires a separate power connection, whichadds to the complexity of the connections. Thus, such a network iscomplex and difficult to install, operate, and maintain. In the priorart, it is suggested to integrate the DCE, HPF, and LPF components intooutlets 35 a, 35 b, and 35 c. Nevertheless, external hubs 41 a, 41 b,and 41 c, as well as adapters 21 a, 21 b, and 21 c still imposeadditional complexity in such a network.

There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highlyadvantageous to have, a means for allowing the use of analog (POTS)telephone sets in LAN/VoIP environments without requiring additionalexternal devices and allowing easy installation, operation, andmaintenance. This goal is met by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention makes it easy and convenient to use analog(“POTS”) telephone sets in a packet telephony environment, including,but not limited to, IP telephony via VoIP technology. The inventionprovides an outlet for a Local Area Network (LAN), with an integratedanalog/VoIP adapter. The outlet has a standard analog telephone jack(e.g. RJ-11 in North America) allowing an analog telephone set to bedirectly connected to, and used with, a packet telephony system.

In a first embodiment, an outlet according to the present invention isused with an ordinary LAN environment, such as Ethernet 10 BaseT(IEEE802.3). The outlet allows connecting analog telephone sets to theLAN via the integrated analog/VoIP adapter, supports analog telephonyover the LAN media, and can also support a standard network dataconnection using an integrated multi-port unit (e.g. hub, switch, orrouter). For standard network data connections, the outlet also includesa data networking jack (e.g. RJ-45 if 10 BaseT or 100 BaseTX is used)connected to a port.

In another embodiment, the outlet enables a LAN to be based onin-building telephone wiring, in a home or Small Office/Home Office(SoHo) environment. A packet-based LAN is implemented, and outletsaccording to the present invention serve as both telephone outlets andnetwork outlets. This allows for direct and convenient connection ofanalog telephone sets to VoIP packet telephony over the data network. Insuch an arrangement, the regular analog telephony service remainsunaffected, because the low-frequency analog portion of the spectrum isisolated by the FDM technique. As noted above, the outlet may alsosupport a network data connection, using an integrated multi-port unit(e.g. hub, switch or router), and in this case also includes a datanetwork jack (e.g. RJ-45 if 10 BaseT or 100 BaseTX is used) connected toa port.

Outlets according to the present invention can be installed as part ofan original network installation, as a retrofit to an existing network,or to set up a network over existing telephone wiring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is herein described, by way of non-limiting example only,with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a prior art local area network supporting IP telephony.

FIG. 2 shows a prior art local area network supporting IP telephony,using analog telephone sets.

FIG. 3 shows a prior art local area network supporting both IP telephonyusing analog telephone sets and DTE connectivity.

FIG. 4 shows a prior art local area network over telephone lines.

FIG. 5 shows a prior art local area network over telephone linessupporting both IP telephony and DTE connectivity.

FIG. 6 shows a prior art local area network over telephone linessupporting both IP telephony using analog telephone sets and DTEconnectivity.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show schematically outlets according to differentembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 shows a local area network supporting both IP telephony usinganalog telephone sets and DTE connectivity, employing outlets accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an outlet supporting analog telephony and packettelephony according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a local area network over telephone lines supportingboth IP telephony using analog telephone sets and DTE connectivity,employing outlets according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a first outlet according to the present inventionfor providing life-line telephone capability for a telephone normallyused in packet telephony.

FIG. 12 illustrates a second outlet according to the present inventionfor providing life-line telephone capability in conjunction with a datanetwork, where analog telephone signals are provided via a separateconductor.

FIG. 13 illustrates a third outlet according to the present inventionfor providing life-line telephone capability in conjunction with a datanetwork, where analog telephone signals are separated using FDM.

FIG. 14 illustrates a global network connected via a gateway to a localnetwork existing within a building, and which provides packet telephonyservices to analog telephones via in-building outlets according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates a general form of an outlet according to the presentinvention, which can serve in various wired network environments, suchas CATV and electrical power networks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The principles and operation of a network according to the presentinvention may be understood with reference to the drawings and theaccompanying description. The drawings and descriptions are conceptualonly. In actual practice, a single component can implement one or morefunctions; alternatively, each function can be implemented by aplurality of components and circuits. In the drawings and descriptions,identical reference numerals indicate those components that are commonto different embodiments or configurations.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b shows schematically outlets 70 and 75 according to twodifferent embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 7 b, the outlet75 includes a VoIP to analog telephony adapter 21. Outlet 75 connects todata network wiring via a connector 71. Connector 71 is preferablylocated at the rear of outlet 75, where outlet 75 mechanically mounts toan interior wall of a building. Outlet 75 connects to an analogtelephone set via a jack 72. Jack 72 is preferably located at the front,or “panel” of outlet 75, which is visible when outlet 75 is mounted onan interior wall of a building. Jack 72 can be an RJ-11 jack, which iscommonly used in North America for analog telephony. Outlet 75 allowsconnecting an analog telephone set (via jack 72) to the data network viaconnector 71, bridged by an adapter 21. As shown in FIG. 7 a, the outlet70 also includes the adapter 21, but further includes a hub 31 and adata jack 73, which is connected directly to hub 31. Because of the hub31, the outlet 70 allows both an analog telephone (via jack 72) and adata unit (via jack 73) to be connected to the data network viaconnector 71. Preferably, both jack 72 and jack 73 are located at thefront, or “panel” of outlet 70.

FIG. 8 shows a Local Area Network (LAN) 80 according to the presentinvention. Basically, the infrastructure of network 80 is the same asthat of prior art network 10 (FIG. 1), in which hub 11 is connected in a‘star’ topology to various end units via network wiring 13 a, 13 b, and13 c, and outlets 15 a, 15 b, and 15 c. However, according to thepresent invention, outlets 15 a, 15 b, and 15 c of the prior art network10 are replaced by outlets 70 a, 75 b, and 70 c, respectively, each ofwhich contain an adapter as previously described with reference to FIGS.7 a and 7 b of the drawings. For example, outlet 75 b has a built-inadapter 21 b. Outlet 75 b allows for connection of an analog telephoneset 22 b using a cable 6 b. Similarly, outlets 70 a and 70 c allowanalog telephone sets 22 a and 22 c, respectively, to be connected tothe network via cables 6 a and 6 c, respectively, using internaladapters 21 a and 21 c, respectively. Hubs 31 a and 31 c integratedwithin outlets 70 a and 70 c, respectively, allow for the connection ofDTE units 7 a and 7 c, respectively, to the network, in addition toanalog telephones 22 a and 22 c, respectively. Network 80 allowsnetworking of both DTE units 7 a and 7 c and analog telephone sets 22 a,22 b, and 22 c, and instances of such a network may consist solely ofinstances of outlet 75 (FIG. 7 b), supporting only analog telephony overthe network, may consist solely of instances of outlet 70 (FIG. 7 a),supporting both telephony and data networking, or a mixed configurationas shown in FIG. 8.

Network 80 offers the advantages of the VoIP technology, yet allows theuse of common analog telephones, in the normal way of connecting anordinary telephone, simply by plugging the telephone's standardconnector into the jack 72 within the outlet.

Although outlets 70 and 75 so far have been described as having a singleanalog telephone connection, it is understood that multiple analogtelephone jacks 72 can be supported, wherein separate adapters 21 areused to interface to each telephone jack within the outlets. Similarly,multiple data networking interfaces 73 can be supported in each outlet70, each connected to different port of hub 31 as shown in FIG. 7 a.

Powering outlets 70 and 75, as well as the analog telephones (viaadapter 21) can be implemented either locally by connecting a powersupply to each outlet, or, preferably, via the network itself. In thelatter case, commonly known as “Power over LAN”, the power can becarried to the outlet from a central location either by an additionalwire pair, using the well-known phantom configuration, or by the FDM(Frequency Division/Domain Multiplexing) method. The latter commonlyemploys DC feeding, which is frequency-isolated from the data carried inthe higher part of the spectrum.

In another embodiment, the invention is used in a data network overin-building telephone lines, where the analog telephony signals arecarried in the low-frequency portion of the spectrum, and the datacommunication signals are carried in the high-frequency portion. FIG. 9shows an outlet 90 according the present invention, which is able toseparate and combine signals in different portions of the spectrum.Outlet 90 connects to the telephone wiring via a connector 91,preferably located at the rear part of outlet 90, where outlet 90mechanically mounts to an interior wall of the building. A Low PassFilter (LPF) 37 in outlet 90 is used for isolating the analog telephonypart of the spectrum, for connecting an analog telephone via a jack 92.Jack 92 is preferably a standard telephone jack, such as RJ-11 inNorth-America. Data communication signals are isolated by a High PassFilter (HPF) 38, which connects to a Data Communications Equipment (DCE)unit 39, containing a modem for data communications over the telephoneline media. An integrated hub 41 allows sharing data between VoIPadapter 21 and a data jack 93, for connecting external devices to thenetwork via DEC unit 39 with a standard data networking interface (suchas a 10 BaseT interface per IEEE802.3). The adapter 21 allows connectionof an analog telephone set to a jack 94, similar to jack 92, aspreviously described, thereby allowing digitized/packetized analog voicesignals used by an analog telephone connected to the jack 94 to bemultiplexed on data signals received by the data jack 93. Jack 94 ispreferably a standard telephone jack, such as RJ-11 in North-America.Outlet 90 supports both standard analog telephony (via jack 92) as wellas VoIP telephony using a standard analog telephone, via jack 94.

Thus, outlet 90 supports three types of interface: Regular analogtelephony (via jack 92), data communications (via jack 93), and VoIPtelephony (via jack 94). A subset of such functionalities can also beprovided. For example, an outlet solely supporting VoIP telephony can beimplemented, eliminating the need for LPF 37 and jack 92, as well aseliminating hub 41 and jack 93. In such a case, adapter 21 directlyconnects to DCE unit 39.

FIG. 10 illustrates a network 100 that operates over telephone lines 5a, 5 b, 5 c, 5 d, and 5 e according to the present invention. Network100 employs outlets 90 a, 90 d, 95 b and 96 c. Outlet 95 b differs fromoutlet 90 a and outlet 90 d by not having PSTN support, because nolow-pass filter (LPF) and associated jack are present in outlet 95 b asin outlet 90 a and outlet 90 d. Similarly, outlet 96 c allows only forPSTN connection by employing LPF 37 b and an analog telephone connectorjack. Any mixture of such outlets (90 a, 90 d, 95 b and 96 c) ispossible.

Network 100 of FIG. 10 supports regular PSTN telephony service viaanalog telephone sets 22 a, 22 b, and 22 c. Simultaneously, VoIPtelephony services can be accessed by analog telephone sets 22 d, 22 e,and 22 f. In addition, data networking can be accomplished by data units7 a, 7 b and 7 c.

Although outlets 90 a and 90 d are each described above as having asingle PSTN/POTS telephone connection, it is understood that multiplePSTN/POTS telephone interfaces can be supported within a single outlet.Similarly, it is understood that multiple VoIP/POTS telephone interfacescan be supported via multiple adapters (such as adapter 21 a) within anoutlet. Similarly, multiple data network interfaces can be includedwithin an outlet, each connected to different port of the respective hub(such as hub 41 a).

Life-Line

The term “life-line” refers to the concept of the telephone as a basicand emergency service, whose functionality must be maintained. As such,it is required that malfunctions in any other system or service (e.g.electricity) will not degrade the telephone system capability. Inpractical terms, this means that as long as an operative telephone setis actively connected to the telephone exchange via uninterruptedtwo-wires, the telephone service will be maintained, even in the case ofa failure of electrical power.

A major drawback of using VoIP technology according to hitherto-proposedschemes is that life-line capability is not supported, and any failureof the data network (e.g. power outage, or hub, DCE, or softwarefailure) will result in loss of the IP-telephony based service. Theabsence of “life-line” capability with regard to analog telephone 22 dmay be seen in FIG. 10. Thus, analog telephone 22 d is connected via thedata network through adapter 21 a, hub 41 a, and DCE unit 39 a, and thusa power failure or failure of any one of these active devices will causea loss of service via analog telephone 22 d. Hence analog telephone 22 ddoes not have “life-line” capability. The same is true of analogtelephones 22 e and 22 f.

In contrast, however, analog telephone 22 a is connected to telephoneline 5 a/5 b through a low-pass filter 37 a. LPF 37 a is a passivedevice of relatively high reliability and immunity to failure. Thus,analog telephone 22 a retains life-line capability as part of the PSTNnetwork. This also holds for analog telephone 22 c. Thus, network 100has partial life-line capability.

FIG. 11 illustrates an outlet 110 according to the present invention forinsuring universal life-line capability. Outlet employs a relay 112which operates in a ‘fall-away’ mode, as is well-known in the art. Relay112 is the principal component added to those components in outlet 90 ato provide a telephone connection which for the most part is based onpacket telephony, but which also provides life-line capability. Outlet110 has several jacks. A jack 93 connects directly to a hub 41 toprovide a full-time data connection. A jack 92 connects directly to alow-pass filter 37 to provide a full-time analog telephony connection. Ajack 117 connects to a pole 112 a of relay 112. A throw 112 b of relay112 is connected to adapter 21, which provides conversion between VoIPpacket telephony and analog telephony. A throw 112 c, however, isconnected to LPF 37. In non-energized state, pole 112 a connects to pole112 c. A Sensor 111 controls the state of relay 112, depending on theavailability of data communications on the network. Inputs 113, 114,115, and 116 to sensor 111 come from adapter 21, hub 41, DCE unit 39,and the input to high-pass filter 38, respectively and thus sensor 111is able to detect any failure of the local or network data path, such asno network activity, loss of network power, or any other faultcondition. In normal operation, when network data communications arefunctioning, relay 112 is triggered to connect jack 117 to adapter 21,and thus jack 117 normally connects an analog telephone to a packettelephony network via a VoIP/analog adapter. In the event of any failureof network data communications or power outage, sensor 111 releasesrelay 112 to switch jack 117 to LPF 37, and thus an analog telephoneconnected to jack 117 remains active even if the data network isinoperative, provided that the analog telephone service is available.Outlet 110 thus has life-line capability while normally supportingpacket telephony. Under these circumstances, jack 92 may not benecessary and can be eliminated. It will be understood that while in thepreceding description, a mechanical relay is used for the aboveswitching functionality, any switching mechanism can be equallyemployed. Thus, within the context of the description and the appendedclaims, the term “relay” encompasses any electro-mechanical andelectronic switches adapted to connect a common connection to either oftwo possible connections in response to an external trigger.

FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment of an outlet according to thepresent invention for providing life-line capability. Whereas outlet 110(FIG. 11) has been described with reference to a telephone line datanetworking environment, which has analog telephony inherently available,FIG. 12 illustrates an outlet 120 which can be applied to any LAN. Relay112 and sensor 111 perform the same functions as previously describedfor outlet 110. However, analog telephone signals are not commonlyavailable in network environments used strictly for data, and aretherefore provided to outlet 120 via a connector 122 by dedicatedwiring, preferably carried along with the network wiring structure. Aline 121 carries the signals from connector 122 to a throw of relay 112.Alternatively, the analog telephony signals may be carried on thenetwork wiring, such as by using FDM. FIG. 13 illustrates an outlet 130for use in such a case, where a POTS isolation unit 131 feeds the analogsignal via line 121 to relay 112.

FIG. 14 illustrates the main application of the present invention. Anetwork 140 includes part or all of network 100, which exists within abuilding. Network 140 connects to an IP network 142, operated by aservice provider or ‘IP-carrier’, and which carries both data and voice(using the VoIP technique). A gateway 141 is used for bridging thein-building network to IP network 142, and is connected to existingin-home telephone wiring 5 a, 5 b, and 5 c. This configuration allowsthe IP-carrier to provide both data and voice services, eliminating theneed to modify or add in-building wiring, and requiring only replacementof the telephone outlets.

Although the invention has been so far demonstrated as relating totelephone wiring and telephone outlets, the invention can be similarlyapplied to any type of wired networking within a building, such as CATVor electrical power wiring. FIG. 15 illustrates an outlet 150, which isa general embodiment of the present invention. Outlet 150 is similar inoverall layout to outlet 90 (FIG. 9). Outlet 150 connects to therelevant wiring via a connector 151 and contains an integrateddata/service splitter/combiner unit 152, which isolates the data carriedover the wiring from the main service signal. In the case of telephony,unit 152 contains a low-pass filter (such as LPF 37) and a high-passfilter (such as HPF 38). In the case of electrical power wiring, the ACpower is split by unit 152 and fed to a socket 154, for supplyingelectrical power as normal. In such a case, a modem 153 being apower-line carrier (PLC) modem interfaces the hub 41 to the integrateddata/service splitter/combiner unit 152, and allows data communicationover the power line. Similarly, in the case of a CATV application, wherethe CATV wiring is used for the network infrastructure, a coaxial cablemodem is used as modem 153 and unit 152 isolates the CATV signal fromthe data signal.

Although the invention has been so far described as relating to IP-baseddata networks, the invention can be similarly applied to any type ofpacket data network. Furthermore, although packet networks are the mostimportant for wide area networks, the invention is not restricted topacket networks only, and can be applied to any digital data network,where voice signals are digitized and carried in digital form.

Furthermore, although the invention has been described as relating tonetworks based on continuous electrical conducting media (telephone,CATV, or electrical power), and the relevant modem and associatedcircuitry are connected in parallel to the wiring infrastructure, theinvention can be applied equally to the case wherein the wiring is notcontinuous, but is cut into discrete segments as disclosed in WO00/07322 to the present inventor, which is incorporated by reference forall purposes as if fully set forth herein.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations,modifications and other applications of the invention may be made.

What is claimed is:
 1. A network for coupling a plurality of analog telephone devices to the Internet, the network comprising: a telephone wire pair at least in part in a wall within a building, said wire pair being connected for concurrently carrying an analog telephone signal carried in an analog telephone signal frequency band frequency multiplexed with a digital data signal carried in a digital data signal frequency band, the digital data signal containing digitized and packetized telephone data, the digital data signal frequency band being distinct from, and higher than, the analog telephone signal frequency band; a gateway connected between said telephone wire pair and the Internet, said gateway being operative to couple the digital data signal between the telephone wire pair and the Internet; and a first device housed within a single enclosure and connected to said telephone wire pair, said first device being connectable to a first analog telephone device and comprising a relay connected to the first analog telephone device, said relay being operative to couple the analog telephone signal to the first analog telephone device only when the digital data signal is not present on said telephone wire pair, wherein the digitized and packetized telephone data is based on Voice over Internet Protocol, and said enclosure is attached to a wall of a building, and wherein said enclosure is mounted in the wall of the building.
 2. The network according to claim 1, further comprising a second device that is operative to convert between the digitized and packetized telephone data and a second analog telephone signal, said second device being connectable to a second analog telephone device and being operative to couple the second analog telephone signal to the second analog telephone device.
 3. The network according to claim 1 further operative to couple a data terminal equipment unit to the Internet, the device further comprising a data connector connectable to the data terminal equipment unit, and operative to couple the digital data signal to the data terminal equipment unit.
 4. The network according to claim 1 wherein said gateway is operative to couple to a distinct service provider over the Internet, to couple to digital data from the distinct service provider.
 5. The network according to claim 1 wherein said gateway is connected to the Internet by a DSL medium.
 6. The network according to claim 1 wherein said first device is attachable to a telephone outlet.
 7. The network according to claim 1 wherein said gateway is operative to connect to a distinct service provider to couple to data and voice services from the distinct service provider.
 8. A network for coupling a plurality of analog telephone devices to the Internet, the network comprising: a telephone wire pair at least in part in a wall within a building, said wire pair being connected for concurrently carrying an analog telephone signal carried in an analog telephone signal frequency band frequency multiplexed with a digital data signal carried in a digital data signal frequency band, the digital data signal containing digitized and packetized telephone data, the digital data signal frequency band being distinct from, and higher than, the analog telephone signal frequency band; a gateway connected between said telephone wire pair and the Internet, said gateway being operative to couple the digital data signal between the telephone wire pair and the Internet; and a first device housed within a single enclosure and connected to said telephone wire pair, said first device being connectable to a first analog telephone device and comprising a relay connected to the first analog telephone device, said relay being operative to couple the analog telephone signal to the first analog telephone device only when the digital data signal is not present on said telephone wire pair, wherein the digitized and packetized telephone data is based on Voice over Internet Protocol, and said enclosure is attached to a wall of a building, and wherein said first device is housed within a telephone outlet.
 9. The network according to claim 8, further comprising a second device that is operative to convert between the digitized and packetized telephone data and a second analog telephone signal, said second device being connectable to a second analog telephone device and being operative to couple the second analog telephone signal to the second analog telephone device.
 10. The network according to claim 8, wherein said enclosure is mounted in the wall of the building.
 11. The network according to claim 8, further operative to couple a data terminal equipment unit to the Internet, The device further comprising a data connector connectable to the data terminal equipment unit, and operative to couple the digital data signal to the data terminal equipment unit.
 12. The network according to claim 8 wherein said gateway is operative to couple to a distinct service provider over the Internet, to couple to digital data from the distinct service provider.
 13. The network according to claim 8, wherein said gateway is connected to the Internet by a DSL medium.
 14. The network according to claim 8, wherein said gateway is operative to connect to a distinct service provider to couple to data and voice services from the distinct service provider. 